I was standing next to fridge, and all of a sudden a loud "explosion", magnet went flying off side of freezer, and when i looked inside, the inside wall of freezer is cracked. what would cause this

SOURCE: ge fridge

Most likely it is the defrost heater. (it's that thing at the bottom of the coils with two wires leading from it.) To test it for sure, you'd have to use an ohm meter, but many times you can visually see that the heater is bad. Defrost the coils with a hair blower. If you don't have the heater on hand, the refrig will work fine for a week until you can replace the heater.

SOURCE: Whirlpool side by side refrigerator not defrosting.

take back panel off inside freezer. check continuity thro heater and thermal fuse in series with heater

SOURCE: Fridge stopped working, freezer still works

HI
If the compressor doesn't run, it is likely that the defrost timer is malfunctioning. This part is located near the compressor. To test the defrost timer:

Step 1: Unplug the refrigerator.

Step 2: Disconnect the wires from the timer and timer motor. Remove the timer from its brackets by backing out two retaining screws.

Step 3: Test the defrost timer with a VOM set to the RX1 scale. Clip one probe of the VOM to each defrost timer -- not motor -- wire, and turn the timer control screw shaft until it clicks. If the defrost timer is functioning, the meter will read zero. If the needle jumps, the defrost timer is faulty. Replace it with a new one of the same type.

Step 4: Connect the new defrost timer the same way the old one was connected.

To check the defrost timer motor, clip one probe of the VOM to each motor wire, setting the scale to RX100. If the meter reads between about 500 and 3,000 ohms, the motor is functioning properly. If the meter reads higher than 3,000 ohms, the timer motor is faulty. Replace it with a new one of the same type. Connect the new motor the same way the old one was connected.

Dennis Gaebel

• 36 Answers
• Posted on Mar 01, 2009

SOURCE: hotpoint csx22bc 21.7 cu. ft. leaking water on freezer side

Look for obstruction at the drain tray for the freezer. Common to have plastic wrap sucked into that area.Or gunk in the drain line. Blow through line to insure the gunk is not an issue.

SOURCE: GE side by side freezer shelves falling down

This appears to be a known problem with at least a couple of GE models (It has been happening in our freezer too). There is a GE Service bulletin at https://customernet.geappliances.com/OTIS/fs/home_images/REF01-10.pdf that seems to describe the fix as them sending out new shelves (and maybe someone to install them?)